Dee Gordon, Seattle Mariners

If you watched Sunday’s game, it was apparent Gordon was in pain when he stole second base and scored the winning run against the Tigers. He was later diagnosed with a mild fracture in his right big toe. A natural response from his owners would be complete panic, as a broken toe sounds bad for a speedster. Fortunately, this appears to be more of a mild stress fracture than a true displaced fracture (as evidenced by the fact that he ran from second to home — kind of tricky to do with a true fracture).

I expect he’ll return in 14-20 days. His speed will naturally be a bit hampered, but he can fly, and even “third-gear” Gordon should be an effective base stealer. I’ve seen others predict he’ll be out until the All-Star break. He might be an excellent trade target if you can land him before more updates are out. Expected Return: June 4 to June 12

Khris Davis, Oakland A’s

The groin acts as an anchor for power hitters as they load and prepare to swing. If you’ve watched Davis, it is not surprising to see him suffer small soft tissue injuries here and there. He goes from relaxed to explosive in a blink of an eye. A grade 1 strain means nothing is torn, but the MRI showed some angry tissue/inflammation. Now that he’s on the DL, he’ll be shut down for 3-6 days and then re-evaluated. How he tolerates easy “dry swings” will dictate if he needs more rehab/time to heal. Overall, he shouldn’t miss more than two weeks barring any new information or significant setbacks. Expected Return: May 31 to June 4

Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates

I’m a little late to the party on this injury. Marte suffered an oblique injury on May 16. Generally, a 3-4 week window is a probable outcome for a hitter with this injury. Marte ran the bases on May 23, but swinging a bat would give us a much better idea of actual progress. With Austin Meadows off to a hot start, there is no real urgency to push it with Marte. I expect he’ll be ready the first week of June, but the Pirates’ depth in the outfield may afford him another week off. Expected Return: June 3 to June 10

MLB Injury Updates on Returning Players

Greg Bird – Expected return this weekend. Grab him if he’s not owned, but be prepared to cut bait if another injury occurs.

Alex Reyes – Could start as early as May 29.

Ervin Santana – Just completed a rehab start at Double-A. Expect a return in early to mid-June.